The company posted record full-year profits for 2017

Published Feb 6, 2018 at 6:01 AM

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The General Motors logo on the world headquarters building in Detroit, Michigan.

General Motors announced Tuesday it made $12.8 billion in pre-tax profits in 2017, and the company said union-represented workers will receive profit-sharing checks of $11,750.

The company reported a net loss of $3.9 billion, driven primarily by a $7.3 billion accounting charge related to the recent tax reform and $6.2 billion charge related to the sale of Europe's Opel unit. But without the expense the company posted record per-share earnings.

About 50,000 GM factory workers will get $11,750 profit-sharing checks later this month. GM's profit-sharing checks are higher than its Detroit-area rivals. Ford announced in January profit-sharing checks of $7,500 for an estimated 54,000 UAW-represented employees, and Fiat Chrysler said it would pay its UAW employees an average of $5,500, the Detroit Free Press reported. Fiat Chrysler also said it would give U.S. workers, aside from senior leadership, $2,000 bonuses, according to the Free Press.

"The actions we took to further strengthen our core business and advance our vision for personal mobility made 2017 a transformative year. We will continue executing our plan and reshaping our company to position it for long-term success," GM CEO Mary Barra said in a news release.

GM says the change in the U.S. tax code forced it to write down accumulated losses that it uses to avoid corporate income taxes. The assets went from $33.6 billion to $24 billion. Since the rate fell from 35 percent to 21 percent, the losses are worth less.